Finally, after years of hype, Andrew Wiggins is poised to become the No. 1 selection at the NBA draft on Thursday, capping one of the biggest days in the history of Canadian basketball.

Wiggins, the Vaughan native who had a solid freshman season for the Kansas Jayhawks, is the favourite to be the first pick, though Duke forward Jabari Parker is also being strongly considered by the Cleveland Cavaliers, who selected Brampton’s Anthony Bennett No. 1 last year, the first time a Canadian had been the first pick.

Parker said Wednesday that Milwaukee has told him he will be picked at No. 2 if Cleveland passes and he has not heard anything from the Cavs indicating he is their guy.

The spotlight on the soft-spoken Wiggins, just 19, has been immense for half a decade now — at least — he has dreamed about what will come Thursday, and expressed some nerves and anxiety ahead of the big day at media availability on Wednesday.

“You want to know what’s going to happen, because tomorrow is the day that your destiny, everything changes, the city you live in, where you’re going to spend the next four years,” Wiggins said.

He said he is not yet sure where he will land, but would be a good fit in Cleveland, since he knows Bennett and Brampton’s Tristan Thompson, the No. 4 overall selection in 2011, well.

Wherever it is, Wiggins intends to make a difference.

“I’m prepared. No matter what team I go to, I want to win. That’s my goal. Nobody wants to be a loser. So I want to win, I’m willing to do anything for the team to put ourselves in that situation,” he said.

After Wiggins, Mississauga’s Nik Stauskas, a sharp-shooting guard who spent two years at Michigan, could also go in the top 10. Once struggling to crack the lottery (the 14 non-playoff teams), Stauskas now says he feels he is a lock to be taken in one of those spots.

Brampton’s Tyler Ennis, a close friend and former AAU teammate of Wiggins and a standout at Syracuse in his freshman year, could also go in the lottery and sources say will not fall past his hometown Raptors, who select 20th overall, unless a high-lottery caliber player inexplicably drops that low.

At least two of Toronto’s Dwight Powell, Montreal’s Khem Birch and Calgary’s Jordan Bachynski are expected to go in the second round, while Brampton’s Melvin Ejim has a chance and another Brampton product, 7-foot-5 centre Sim Bhullar is seen as a long shot to be selected.

There has never been this type of high-end talent or depth available in an NBA draft and it all starts at the top, with Wiggins.

It did not take Stauskas long to realize Wiggins was a hoops prodigy.

“I remember playing AAU with Andrew when he was 13. The first time I ever saw him he did a 360, behind-the-back dunk and I’m like, ‘Well, I think this kid is going to the NBA,’ ” Stauskas said, drawing laughs.

“I met Andrew when he was 13 years old. That’s why I’ve got a lot of respect for him and guys like LeBron, kids that go through it at a young age. To be able to meet the expectations and even exceed them, is the toughest part. The fact that he’s stayed level-headed, humble, throughout this whole experience and the fact he could be the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft, I’m excited for him, it speaks a lot about him.”

Ennis echoed those thoughts.

“His talent, you go watch him for a few minutes and see how natural he is, how good he is,” Ennis said. “On top of that, he’s just a great teammate. A lot of people, with the hype he got, could have let it go to their head. Change the way they act, change the way they approach the game, but Andrew, he’s the exact same way as he was when I met him. That’s why he has that aura about him.”

It has been a long time in the making, but finally Thursday, Andrew Wiggins, No. 1 overall NBA Draft pick could become a reality.

“It would mean a lot to me, it would mean a lot to my country too,” said Canada’s shining hoops hope, 30 hours or so before his wildest dreams could become a reality.

DON'T FORGET THE OTHER CANADIANS

Thursday’s NBA draft will mean more to Andrew Wiggins because a number of his friends also figured to be selected either in the first or second rounds.

“I know we all had hoop dreams, we all wanted to play in the NBA, that’s everyone’s goal growing up,” Wiggins said.

“(The night is) for all of us (and for the entire country). They supported me throughout whatever, my bad times and my good times, they still supported me 100%, so it is not only for me, it’s not only for my family, for Tyler (Ennis) and Nik (Stauskas), it’s for the whole Canada, everybody that supported us the whole time,” Wiggins said.

“It just shows that we are getting better each year, every year we are supplying more athletes and showcasing in the States, going to college. Hopefully we have more people like me, Tyler and Nik who will make big noise, like we have this year. It’s big, because we give a lot of kids in Canada that hope to do the same things we did. We’re doing it because we were in their shoes before, we were in their position. We weren’t really known. Ninth grade I wasn’t really ranked or nothing, 10th grade I wasn’t really ranked either.”

Andrew Wiggins anxious to find out if he's going No. 1 in NBA draft

Finally, after years of hype, Andrew Wiggins is poised to become the No. 1 selection at the NBA draft on Thursday, capping one of the biggest days in the history of Canadian basketball.

Wiggins, the Vaughan native who had a solid freshman season for the Kansas Jayhawks, is the favourite to be the first pick, though Duke forward Jabari Parker is also being strongly considered by the Cleveland Cavaliers, who selected Brampton’s Anthony Bennett No. 1 last year, the first time a Canadian had been the first pick.

Parker said Wednesday that Milwaukee has told him he will be picked at No. 2 if Cleveland passes and he has not heard anything from the Cavs indicating he is their guy.

The spotlight on the soft-spoken Wiggins, just 19, has been immense for half a decade now — at least — he has dreamed about what will come Thursday, and expressed some nerves and anxiety ahead of the big day at media availability on Wednesday.